Changing Gears
by I Caught Myself
Summary: Follow up to "Drink and Drive" and "Car Wash". Rhodey should've realised that he and Tony would never last forever. No matter how many times Tony said "I love you", he was never going to change. Tony/Rhodey slash – don't like, don't read!
1. Accelerate

**A/N:**** I know that Whitney Frost and the Maggia are not actually in the movie-verse, but I wanted to incorporate them into this fic, as Whitney is a love interest of Tony's. Pairings will be: Tony/Rhodey (main), Tony/Whitney and Pepper/Happy.**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Iron Man**

**Summary:**** follow up to "Drink and Drive" and "Car Wash". Rhodey should've realised that he and Tony would never last forever. No matter how many times Tony said "I love you", he was never going to change. Tony/Rhodey slash – don't like, don't read! Warnings inside.**

**Rating:**** M – slash, smut, swearing and lots and lots of angst... all the good stuff :)**

**Changing Gears**

**Chapter 1: Accelerate**

"I'm going to ask Rhodey to move in." Tony stated.

He was sitting on a stool in the workshop, fixing up his Hot Rod and considering some upgrades for his Iron Man suit. Pepper was standing nearby, leaning against the workbench, holding a clipboard in one hand and a blackberry in the other, planning Tony's day and reminding him of any meetings he had to go to.

"... And you have to go to the charity gala tonight." Pepper continued with Tony's agenda, ignoring his previous statement. "Happy said he'll bring the car around at six to pick us up to make sure we get there with plenty of time, just in case there's really bad traffic in the city. I'm going to pick up your suit and my dress in about an hour or so..."

"Pepper, are you even listening to me?" Tony asked.

"What?" She lowered the clipboard and sighed. "I'm sorry, Tony. I'm just so stressed out at the moment. I need to sort out everything for this charity gala, I keep getting phone calls asking about you from loads of different newspapers and magazines – including Christine Everhart from _Vanity Fair_, there are loads of people phoning about the Iron Man suit, I have to get you ready for all of this and all you want to do is sit in your workshop building your car or Iron Man suit – and when you're not doing that Rhodey's here or your at his place doing God only knows what!"

"Pepper, I'm sure God isn't the only one who knows what we're doing." Tony said. "I'm pretty sure Rhodey's neighbours know too, considering they were banging on the door yelling for us to be quiet." He threw down his tools and wiped him grimy hands with an old rag. "So, did you hear my before you started going on about this charity thing?"

"No. Did you say something?" Pepper asked, shoving the blackberry into her pocket, scribbling something down on the clipboard.

"Yes. I said that I'm going to ask Rhodey to move in with me." Tony repeated.

"Oh."

"So what do you think?" Tony asked. "I want your advice, Pepper. You're my closest friend and I want to know if you think it's a good idea."

"Don't you think that you and Rhodey are taking things a bit too fast?" Pepper asked cautiously. "You two haven't even been together for a month yet."

"Tomorrow it'll be a month." Tony threw the rag down and began to inspect his handiwork.

"Yes, but..." Pepper hesitated. "People don't tend to move in with each other after one month of being together. They tend to wait a bit longer..."

"But we've known each other for years." Tony insisted. "Just because we're now screwing and an item it doesn't mean it's any different between us. Besides, he spends loads of time here _and_ he usually ends up sleeping over."

"And you spend loads of time at his." Pepper argued. "Do you really think that you're both ready to move in together?"

"I think we are." Tony said.

"Well..." Pepper sighed. "I can't force you not to. Just... when you talk to him, make sure you both discuss it in depth. Make sure you _listen_ to _him_ Tony, not just yourself."

"Pepper, I always listen to Rhodey." Tony said, walking over to the workbench and grabbing his car keys. "I'm going to see Rhodey now. He's got a down day, so he should be at home. Have you seen my jacket?"

"Jacket." She stated, holding out Tony's leather jacket to him. "You left it down here when you came in last night. Make sure you're home in time for the gala." Pepper called after him as he walked over to the Audi R8.

"I will." Tony waved over his shoulder as he climbed into the car. "See you later."

"Bye bye." Pepper said. Tony wound down the car window.

"Oh, and tell Happy I'm bringing Rhodey to the gala." Tony said. "He's going to come in the car with me."

"Tony, please, please, _please_ don't do anything to torture Happy." Pepper said, emphasising all of the pleases, trying to appeal to his better nature. "You know that he's not exactly comfortable with you and Rhodey so for God's sake don't start doing anything in the back of the car that makes him squirm. He's having enough problems coming to terms with it all."

"You have just given me an idea."

"I shouldn't have said anything, should I?" Pepper asked in despair.

"Nope." Tony shook his head and grinned. He started the car and put his foot down on the accelerator, speeding out of the tunnel.

xXx

Rhodey was lounging on his couch, wearing a tracksuit and drenched in sweat. He had just been out for a run, and was lazily considering going for a shower. Down days were always a good time to go for a run – there wasn't anything else to do except work through a pile of paperwork on his desk in the corner of the room.

Just as he was about to doze off, he was aware of a clicking sound – a key turning in the lock. Rhodey sat up and watched the door open, and Tony stride into the room.

Tony hang his car keys on the key rack, along with his key to Rhodey's apartment. He took off his jacket and hung it up on a coat hook, walking over to Rhodey and throwing himself down on the sofa beside him, making himself comfortable.

"Sometimes, I regret giving you your own key." Rhodey said.

"No you don't." Tony smiled and leant over, kissing Rhodey.

"You're right, I don't." Rhodey grinned. "Why do you _always_ turn up just as I'm about to go and have a shower?"

"I have cameras in your apartment." Tony deadpanned.

"..." Rhodey's eyes narrowed and drifted up to the corners, scanning the room for where there might be a camera.

"I'm kidding. I don't have cameras, but I wish I did have a sixth sense that told me when you're getting into the shower." Tony said, patting Rhodey on the back. "Though now I have the idea, I'll bring some cameras with me next time."

"You are not putting cameras in my apartment." Rhodey stated. "So why are you here, if you didn't know that I was going to have a shower?"

"I wanted to talk to you." Tony said. "Oh, and I wanted to invite you to this charity gala I'm going to tonight. It'll be way more fun with you there too."

"Oh right. Well I'll go. I didn't have any other plans for tonight." Rhodey said. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"I wanted to talk about us." Tony said, shifting on the couch to make himself more comfortable. He threw an arm over the back of the couch, around Rhodey's shoulders and smiled, his other hand resting on Rhodey's thigh. "Pepper doesn't think it's a good idea, but I want you to move in with me. Properly. Not just staying over for a couple of days or a week. I want you to come and live with me. You can still keep your apartment because it's closer to your work, but I think it's time we did move in together."

"Do I get a say in this?" Rhodey asked.

"Pepper told me that I had to listen to you." Tony shrugged. "So, what do you want to say?"

"Tony, we haven't even been together a month."

"That's what Pepper said. But it's a month tomorrow." Tony said. "So. Do you want to move in with me?"

"If I say no, you're just going to sulk until you find something else to be mad about." Rhodey laughed. "I'll move in with you, okay? I spend enough time at your house already, we might as well make it official."

"Good." Tony said. "How do you feel about making the whole relationship public?"

"I... don't really think that's a good idea for either of us." Rhodey said hesitantly. "If the press find out then they're never going to leave us alone. We both have reputations to uphold – I would have to leave my job and we would always be in the public eye. I don't want that, Tony. I want just us together. The public don't need to know."

"Then keep your distance from me tonight." Tony grinned.

I'll try." Rhodey grinned back at him. He stood up off the couch and walked towards the bathroom. He stopped in the doorway and turned to face Tony. "Whilst I'm in the shower are you going to sit there and watch TV, or are you going to join me?"

"What do you think?" Tony snorted, standing up and pulling his shirt over his head. He threw it onto the floor and kicked off his shoes, then walked past Rhodey, into the bathroom. "You better make this quick though – we have to get home and get ready for tonight." He called from the bathroom. Rhodey grinned and followed him, tugging off his tracksuit top.

"You're telling me to make this quick? Hypocrite." Rhodey kicked off his trainers and dropped his trousers and boxers, before stepping into the shower and turning the water on.

"I'll wait out here until you get the right temperature." Tony smiled, leaning against the bathroom wall. "Oh, screw it all. I want your body now." Tony finished stripping, throwing his clothes around the bathroom and slid the shower door open, stepping inside with Rhodey, feeling the warm water washing over him.

"Someone's a little impatient today." Rhodey murmured, leaning down and capturing Tony's lips in a kiss. Tony's arms snaked around Rhodey's neck and he deepened the kiss, opening his mouth and allowing Rhodey's tongue inside. Rhodey's arms went around Tony's waist, pulling him flush against his body.

"I missed you." Tony mumbled, pushing Rhodey against the wall of the shower. "Can we have sex now?"

"No. We don't have time if we have to get back to yours and get ready for this gala."

"Bastard." Tony grumbled, reaching down and stroking Rhodey's arousal. Rhodey threw his head back and groaned, leaning against the shower wall for support, trying to stop his knees giving way. Tony stopped and grinned. "Oh wait – we don't have time for this, do we? I'll stop then."

"Tony! Will you just fucking get on with it?" Rhodey growled. Tony chuckled and began to stroke Rhodey's arousal again. He loved it when Rhodey got frustrated. The growl in his voice made it deeper, and made him sound damn hot. Rhodey groaned, arching his hips and closing his eyes. Tony rested his forehead on Rhodey's shoulder, picking up the pace.

"God, I love it when you're mad." Tony whispered, kissing Rhodey's neck.

"Ah, fuck..." Rhodey moaned as he released, slumping against the wall, trying to stay standing upright instead of crumpling to the floor.

"Now that's over with, we can get cleaned up and go back to mine to get ready for this gala thing." Tony said, turning the water up and rinsing himself and Rhodey down. "Have you got your suit? I don't think it's at my house and Pepper went to go and pick ours up from the dry cleaners but she didn't say anything about yours. Actually – wear your uniform. It's a formal thing. You look hot in it."

"I'll wear my uniform. I prefer wearing it to a normal suit." Rhodey said. "I'll stick it in a suit bag and bring it up to yours with me."

"Are you taking your truck to my house, or are you coming in the R8 with me?" Tony asked, stepping out of the shower and grabbing a towel, wrapping it around his waist.

"I'm going in my truck." Rhodey said, turning off the shower and taking the towel Tony was handing to him. "I am never getting in a car with you after we went out in your R8, got drunk and had sex in it... and it's happened on my than one occasion. There's just something about being in that R8 that makes you horny as hell and you can't keep your hands to yourself."

"Race back to my house?" Tony asked, drying himself off.

"No. You're crazy when you're racing someone." Rhodey scowled. "Remember last week, when you nearly ran Happy off the road?"

"But I didn't." Tony said. He began to retrieve his clothes from the bathroom. "I'll see you at my house, okay?"

"See you there." Rhodey said. "I'll be along soon."

"Okay." Tony zipped up his jeans and pulled his t-shirt on. He walked over to Rhodey and pecked him on the lips. "I'll see you soon. I love you."

"Love you too!" Rhodey called after Tony as he walked out of the bathroom and out of the house.

Rhodey dried himself off and walked into his bedroom, throwing his tracksuit in a washing basket and pulling some jeans and a t-shirt on. He opened the closet and took out his dress uniform and pulled out a suit bag, carefully putting his uniform in the suit bag. He threw it over his shoulder and slipped his feet into some shoes, heading out of the apartment and down to his truck which was parked outside.

Tony was parked in front of Rhodey's truck, sitting in his R8, wearing sunglasses with a grin plastered on his face, revving the engine.

"What did I say about racing?" Rhodey asked.

"You said no." Tony replied. "But I always get what I want. Come on Rhodey, I promise we won't kill anyone... if they don't get in our way. And if we get pulled over I'll just pay the cops off. Please?"

"Fine." Rhodey threw his uniform into the back of his truck. "But you need to move your car out of the way first."

"That won't be a problem." Tony grinned and slammed his foot down on the accelerator, speeding off with his tyres squealing.

**End of chapter 1!**

**I'd love to hear what you guys think.**

**In the next chapter they go to the gala, Tony yells at some kids on bikes and Whitney makes her first appearance. Stay tuned! :D**

**I Caught Myself.**


	2. Collision

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Iron Man**

**Summary:**** follow up to "Drink and Drive" and "Car Wash". Rhodey should've realised that he and Tony would never last forever. No matter how many times Tony said "I love you", he was never going to change. Tony/Rhodey slash – don't like, don't read! Warnings inside.**

**Rating:**** M – slash, smut, swearing and lots and lots of angst... all the good stuff :)**

**Changing Gears**

**Chapter 2: Collision**

Pepper stepped back and threw her hands up in front of her face as Tony pulled up in the R8 front of her and Happy, with his brakes squealing. Happy didn't even flinch. He just stood there, and raised an eyebrow at the smoke coming from the tyres. A few seconds later, Rhodey's Dodge pick-up roared over to them and slowed to a halt.

Tony climbed out of his R8 as Rhodey jumped down from the pick-up, and they both walked towards Pepper and Happy, both of them grinning like idiots. Pepper sighed with relief and placed her hands on her hips, scowling, whilst Happy stood with his hands clasped in front of him.

"You two are going to kill somebody one day in one of your stupid races – it's not safe for you two and other people on the road." Pepper insisted. "You're both maniacs."

"Pepper, we're always careful." Tony insisted.

"I don't care!" Pepper snapped. "You won't be saying that when you're in a body bag!"

"Pepper... I'm sorry." Rhodey said, holding up his hands in front of him. "It won't happen again, okay. I won't let it. I'm sorry if we scared you."

"Thank you." Pepper relaxed slightly. "Anyway, it's half past five! We have to get ready to leave! Tony, your suit is upstairs in your room. Rhodey, I didn't know if you had anything so I picked something out for you."

"Pepper, it's fine." Rhodey said. "I brought my dress uniform with me."

"Oh. Good." Pepper said. "Now, both of you go and get changed. Make sure you're down in the lounge in fifteen minutes, okay? That means – Tony, go and get changed in _your bedroom_ and Rhodey, you can go and get changed in the _bathroom_."

"Oh." Tony said. "Well, the bathroom is on the way to my bedroom..." Tony started to say.

"NO!" Pepper protested. "We'll never get to the gala if you two get changed together! As soon as I get changed I'll come to meet you both and check that you're in separate rooms. Now both of you get a move on!"

"Pepper, you should've been in the military." Rhodey grinned, grabbing his uniform out of the truck and disappearing into the house with Tony.

Tony and Rhodey stopped outside the bathroom.

"Wanna risk it?" Tony asked, raising his eyebrows.

"No. I think Pepper would kill us." Rhodey chuckled. "I'll see you downstairs."

"Fine." Tony sighed. "But if you don't want me in there, you should probably lock the door."

xXx

They were all in the limousine on the way to the gala. Happy was driving, shooting disgusted looks at Tony and Rhodey in the rear-view mirror. They were sat at the back of the limo, with their arms around each other and glasses of wine in their hands. Pepper was sat on the seat that went down one side of the limo, sipping her wine and glancing around nervously.

Tony was dressed in his usual tuxedo, and Rhodey was in his dress uniform. Pepper was wearing a blue dress similar to the one she had worn whilst dancing with Tony.

"I told you we should've left earlier." Pepper said in despair. "Because we left at quarter past six we're stuck in all the traffic. We're going to be late and that's not going to be good for our image."

"Pepper, calm down." Tony said. "Just relax and enjoy the drive." He nuzzled Rhodey's neck, pressing his lips against Rhodey's pulse. "I'm going to."

"Tony! What did I tell you about doing things like that?" Pepper exclaimed. "Leave Rhodey alone! You're going to give Happy a breakdown!"

"Pepper, you're no fun." Tony murmured against Rhodey's neck.

"Damned kids!" Happy cursed from the front of the car. Tony got out of his seat and walked up to Happy and patted him on the shoulder. "They shouldn't be out on roads this busy on their bikes with no lights and dark clothing! Where are the police? Where are the people who should be doing them in for this? Look at them! They're swerving all over the road!"

"Let me handle this." Tony said. He pressed the button to open the limo sunroof and stood out of the top. He took a gulp of wine, then handed his glass to Pepper. He spotted the kids mucking around on their bikes and started to yell. "YOU! HEY YOU – KIDS! DON'T IGNORE ME."

"What is he doing?" Rhodey asked.

"Making a scene." Pepper sighed, rubbing her face with her hands. "Someone, try to make him stop. We don't need this... not today. Rhodey... just... do something!"

"Like what?" Rhodey asked. "You won't let us do anything like... _that_ because it freaks Happy out!"

"GET SOME LIGHTS ON YOUR BIKE!" Tony yelled at the cyclists, shaking his fist. "AND GET SOME PROPER CLOTHING! YOU SHOULDN'T EVEN BE OUT ON THIS ROAD! GO HOME! AND LEARN TO RIDE A –" Tony was interrupted by Rhodey grabbing him by his belt and pulling him back to into the limo. Rhodey lost his balance and fell back down onto his seat, pulling Tony down on top of him.

"Tony – will you just sit down and shut up? Please?" Pepper asked. "We're already going to be really late because of the traffic. We don't need you yelling at a bunch of kids on their bikes. Just... calm down."

"I'm sitting down right now." Tony said, shifting on Rhodey's lap to make himself more comfortable.

"No! Sit down in a car seat!" Pepper insisted. "Rhodey, try and talk some sense into him. Please."

"Come on, Tony." Rhodey said, trying to shove the other man off his lap. "Behave. You're going to make Pepper have a breakdown. You're going to make Happy have a breakdown too. Just wait until we get home later and..."

"Stop talking!" Happy called from the front.

"Sorry Happy!" Rhodey called to him.

"Are we there yet?" Tony sighed, allowing Rhodey to push him onto the seat next to him.

xXx

Happy had managed to navigate all of the traffic successfully and pulled up outside the hotel the gala was being held at. He climbed out of the car and opened the passenger door at the back of the limo, so that the other's could get out. Tony was first to climb out, putting on his sunglasses to prevent himself being stunned by the flashing cameras, blowing kisses to screaming girls and waving to the crowds whilst Pepper and Rhodey climbed out behind him, neither of them getting as much attention as Tony.

Pepper and Rhodey walked over to him, whilst Happy climbed back into the limo and took it round the back of the hotel where the gala was being held – he didn't trust any of the concierges. Tony led the way into the hotel reception, and then into the hall where the gala was being held.

The room was adorned with colourful decorations and bright lights. There were several tables set out at the near end of the room, and there was a dance floor with a live band playing at the other. There were groups of people scattered all around the hall, and there was a large banner hanging on the wall at the far end saying in large letters: 'FROST FAMILY CHARITY GALA'.

"The Frost family?" Rhodey questioned, turning to look at Tony and Pepper.

"Yeah." Tony said, clicking his fingers at a waiter walking around with glasses of champagne and beckoning him over. "You say that like it's something you're not happy about."

"Don't worry about it..." Rhodey's eyes flicked to the waiter, and then back at Tony. "No thank you, I have to get up early tomorrow morning and drive. I've already had a glass on the way here."

"Ah. Well, I'll have a glass. And so will Pepper." Tony took a glass for himself, and one for Pepper. "Cheers." The waiter walked away and Tony handed a glass to Pepper. "Now he's gone – do you wanna tell me what's up?"

"Yeah..." Rhodey looked around and leant closer to Tony. "The Frost family are heavily connected with the Maggia." Rhodey muttered to Tony. Pepper spotted Happy when he arrived after parking the limo. She walked over to him and began to talk to him. Rhodey watched her go and then started talking to Tony again. "The problem is, they can't be implicated with anything because we have no concrete evidence. They're good at covering their tracks."

"Isn't that a job for the police, not the military?" Tony asked.

"The Maggia have been selling weapons and supplies to countries in the Middle East. This is a military matter." Rhodey explained. "We think they have a mole inside one of the factions of the military. Tony – some of the weapons they've been selling are from Stark Industries. We think Obadiah may have had a deal with them before he died in that... unfortunate accident."

"Oh yeah. That was a tragedy. Poor Obi." Rhodey frowned at Tony and shook his head. Tony realised that he was going a bit over the top. "Do the military really think that?" Tony asked. Rhodey nodded.

"Ah. Mr Stark." A man said, approaching Tony and Rhodey with a woman wearing a glittering white ankle-length dress on his arm. The woman was tall and slim with long dark hair that fell down her back in waves. Her hair was parted to the side, allowing a fringe to cover half of her face. "This is Miss Whitney Frost, the organiser of this event and current head of the Frost family business. I am –"

"You can go now." Whitney said bluntly to the man, without taking her eyes off Tony.

"But, Whitney –" The man started to protest.

"Go." She snapped.

Her companion sulkily walked away, shooting a dirty look over his shoulder at Tony. Tony winked at him.

"That was rude, don't you think?" Tony asked, smiling lopsidedly. "He didn't even get a chance to introduce himself."

"He didn't need one." Whitney replied. "He's just a moron my father hired whilst he was dying to help me out with the company – I suppose he could be considered as my assistant. As anyone can see from our profits, I do not need any help, Mr Stark."

"I love a woman who can stand on her own two feet." Tony said. "Miss Frost – may I call you Whitney?"

"You may," She smiled as Tony took her hand and kissed it. "Tony."

"You know my name?" Tony asked in mock surprise.

"Tony, everyone knows your name. Stop trying to turn the conversation around to yourself to get a compliment." Rhodey mumbled in his ear. He smiled at Whitney and spoke up. "Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes."

"Air force?" Whitney asked.

"Yes."

"Nice uniform." Whitney observed.

"Thanks." Rhodey said. "That's a beautiful dress."

"So, Tony. Do you dance?" Whitney asked, completely ignoring Rhodey's compliment.

"Of course I can." Tony flashed her a charming smile – the smile that could make anyone fall in love with him there and then. "What kind of a man would I be if I couldn't dance?"

"A clumsy one." Whitney laughed, holding out her hand. "Shall we?"

"It would be my pleasure." Tony said, taking Whitney's hand. He turned to look at Rhodey. "Do you mind if I disappear off for a while?"

"No, I don't mind." Rhodey said, through gritted teeth. "Why would you need to ask my permission anyway, Tony? You're a fully grown man." _YOU'RE ALSO MY GUY!_ Rhodey was screaming in his head. "Go ahead and have fun." Rhodey walked over to where Pepper and Happy were standing.

"Rhodey, what's wrong?" Pepper asked. "You look... mad."

"You see that girl Tony's dancing with?" Rhodey asked.

"Yes..." Happy replied. "She's an attractive woman. No wonder he wants to dance with her." Rhodey glared at him. Happy's face fell. "I'll go to the bar and get you a whisky."

"She's Whitney Frost, isn't she?"Pepper asked.

"Yes. She's Whitney Frost." Rhodey said, fuming. "She's just stolen Tony away from me for a 'dance' and completely ignored me, even when I compliment her and try to start a conversation. Look at them! That isn't dancing! That's molestation!" Rhodey pointed to where Tony and Whitney were 'dancing' together. Both of them were all over each other.

"Rhodey, just... calm down." Pepper said, handing him a whisky Happy brought back from the bar. "You know how Tony is... it's just a dance. And he's just trying to keep up his image, seeing as you two are trying to keep your relationship private. It would be a bit strange if he suddenly wouldn't go near anyone of the opposite sex."

"I guess." Rhodey sighed. He looked down at the glass of whisky and handed it back to Happy. "I have to drive tomorrow morning. I'd rather stay sober."

"... I have to drive tonight... and all the rest of the time." Happy frowned, staring down at the whisky. He shrugged and gave the glass to Pepper.

"Why do I have this?" Pepper asked.

"You're the only one who can drink." Rhodey shrugged. "Down the hatch."

"Down the hatch." Pepper rolled her eyes and downed the whisky. She handed the empty glass back to Happy. "Can we move away from the dance floor now?" She asked Happy. "Rhodey looks like he's going to... what?"

"Did you really just down that glass of whisky?" Happy asked, blinking in surprise.

"Yes. Now get over it."

"Whoa."

**Ah, another chapter done.**

**There is a story about where the yelling at the kids on bikes came from.**

**Me, Kimmieh-chan and my older sister were coming back from the cinema. My older sister was driving, and there were kids mucking around in the middle of the road on their bikes. She started yelling at them with the windows closed, so Kimmieh-chan and me decided that she should stand up through the car sunroof and yell at them. Would've been much more fun.**

**ANYWAY!**

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I look forward to reading any reviews that anyone leaves.**

**I Caught Myself :D**


	3. Crash

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Iron Man. I do own Derek Redfield, Whitney's assistant.**

**Summary:**** follow up to "Drink and Drive" and "Car Wash". Rhodey should've realised that he and Tony would never last forever. No matter how many times Tony said "I love you", he was never going to change. Tony/Rhodey slash – don't like, don't read! Warnings inside.**

**Rating:**** M – slash, smut, swearing and lots and lots of angst... all the good stuff :)**

**Changing Gears**

**Chapter 3: Crash**

"Y'know what guys, I'm gonna leave." Rhodey yawned and checked his watch. It was nearly midnight. "I have to get up and go to work tomorrow. I'm gonna get a cab and head back to Tony's. I'll see you later."

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you back?" Happy asked.

"No, it's fine." Rhodey replied. "I don't wanna drag you away from the party and leave Pepper all alone. You two have fun. I'm gonna go and find Tony and tell him that I'm going home."

"He'll want to go with you." Pepper warned. "And if he does go with you, you won't get any sleep. Make sure you don't sleep in his bed tonight – if he does stay here he'll just come back at a ridiculous time of the morning totally wasted and climb into bed for sex with you."

"Pepper, knowing what he's like at a party, he won't be home until I'm walking out the door." Rhodey said. "Have fun, okay?"

"Bye Rhodey." Pepper smiled and waved, watching him disappear into the bustling crowd, looking for Rhodey. "I wonder where Tony is. I haven't seen him since he went off to dance with Whitney. Happy, have you seen him?"

"Um... no. Sorry." Happy said. "Pepper, do you – do you want to dance? With me?"

"Oh. Dance." Pepper said. "With you? Well... why not? We're both here, we're both alone, there's only two of us so we won't be leaving anyone out... yes. Yes, I'll dance with you." She smiled at him.

"Okay. Let's go and dance." Happy held his arm out to Pepper and she took it, as he walked her onto the dance floor.

xXx

Rhodey had search almost everywhere, but he still couldn't find Tony. He found Whitney's assistant standing near the buffet table, looking extremely frustrated.

"Hey, you haven't seen Tony and Whitney, have you?" Rhodey asked, walking over to her assistant.

"No. I haven't." The assistant grumbled. "I need to find her. She's the one who organised this whole thing, and she's barely greeted any of her guests!"

"Do you think she's still with Tony?" Rhodey asked.

"I have no idea." The assistant replied. "Sorry, but I never caught your name earlier. Whitney dismissed me before the introductions."

"Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes." Rhodey shook hands with the man. "I didn't get your name, seeing as Whitney dismissed you so abruptly."

"Derek Redfield." The man replied. Rhodey's eyes narrowed. 'Derek Redfield' was a name on one of the files the military had on the connections between the Maggia and the Frost family. "I'm going to try calling Whitney again – I doubt I'll have any luck. Good luck searching for Tony."

"Thanks. I'm going to need it. It's almost impossible to find Tony when he doesn't want to be found." Rhodey said, walking away from the buffet table.

xXx

"So, Tony – what's it like to be Iron Man?" Whitney asked, strolling through the hotel gardens with Tony. "What's it like to be a super hero?"

"Being Iron Man..." Tony mused. "It feels like something I was born to do. Before I was just running my dad's company, making weapons to sell to people and making money and picking up women as fast as I could. Now though... it's like something I'm meant to do. And being a hero... I don't see myself as a super-hero. I'm Tony Stark, and I'm also Iron Man – they're two separate people. Tony Stark is the man who wants to help people. Iron Man is the man who does help people."

"I understand." Whitney smiled.

"No you don't." Tony grinned.

"You're right, I don't." Whitney laughed. "I'll never know what it's like to be a hero."

"Don't be silly." Tony said. "Your charity gala has raised lots of money... what charity is it going to? Pepper probably told me at some point, but I always forget."

"It's going to a cancer research charity." Whitney said. "My father died of cancer, and my mother passed away shortly afterwards. I had to watch them both suffer because there was nothing anyone could do. I was only a teenager."

"My parents died in a car crash when I was young." Tony said.

"Then you're someone who can understand how the loss feels." She said, her expression conveying her pain. She stopped and looked up at Tony.

"Yes, I can." Tony stood over her, staring down at Whitney. He brushed her fringe away from her face, and recoiled in surprise. Half of her face was adorned with scars. "How did that happen?" Tony asked softly.

"It was long ago." Whitney turned her face away, combing her fringe back over to conceal the scars. "I was in an accident. They couldn't do anything to fix my face. It's why I'm still unmarried. No-one wants to marry someone this ugly, and the rest of them just want my money. Is it a crime to want to be loved?"

"No, it isn't." Tony said, lifting her chin and forcing her to look him in the eyes. "And don't say you're ugly – you're not." He cupped Whitney's face in his hands and leant down, kissing her gently. Whitney kissed him back, placing her hands on Tony's shoulders and pressing her body against his. It felt good to hold a woman in his arms again – Whitney was soft, warm and gentle – almost the exact opposite of Rhodey.

Rhodey.

Tony broke away from Whitney, but it was too late.

"Rhodey, I –"

"No." Rhodey held up a hand to shush Tony. "I don't wanna hear it. I don't care what excuse you've got. I don't wanna hear anything you have to say about this."

"Rhodey, please!" Tony pushed Whitney away and walked over to Rhodey. "I... I don't know what happened."

"I should've known you wouldn't change for me." Rhodey said, shaking his head. "You've never changed for anyone. You've always been like this and you always will. I hope you enjoy your night with _her_. I'm going to pick up my truck and go home. Some of us actually have to work for a living."

"Wait, are you two...?" Whitney asked.

"We were." Rhodey snapped. "Until you came along. Tony, you can't even trust her! Her family have connections with the Maggia!"

"What?" Whitney asked in outrage. "My family have nothing to do with the Maggia!"

"I've got proof!" Rhodey declared. "I'm going to take you down. You and the Maggia. I know about the weapon's deals. I know about the deal with Obadiah Stane!"

"Stop! None of its true!" Whitney protested.

"Rhodey, can we talk about this later?" Tony asked.

"I won't be there later." Rhodey answered coldly, and walked away from them both.

"Rhodey..." Tony said softly, watching him walk away. Whitney walked over to Tony and entwined her fingers with his.

"I'm sorry... I had no idea about you and Rhodey." She said. "I should leave now... I expect that Derek is looking for me."

"Stay." Tony pleaded. "Stay with me."

"I need to talk with Derek first." Whitney said, letting go of his hand. "I'll be back soon..."

"I'll be waiting in the hall."

xXx

"He knows about us." Whitney stated. "Tony's friend – Rhodey – he knows about our connections to the Maggia. Derek, I want you to go now. He said he's going back to Tony's house to pick up his truck. I want you to wait on the road and I want you to take him out."

"Do you want me to kill him?" Derek asked.

"What else would I be asking you to do, Derek? Take him out on a date?" Whitney fumed. "If you don't kill him, he'll take us down!"

"Sorry... I was just making sure." Derek mumbled. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to see Tony." Whitney grinned. "Don't wait up for me." She touched Derek on the chin and left the room, heading back out to the party and Tony.

xXx

"Pepper." Tony walked over to where her and Happy were dancing together. "Pepper, have you seen Rhodey?"

"Not since he went to find you. He said he was going to go home after that." Pepper replied, stopping her dance with Happy. "Why?"

"I just _really_ need to find him." Tony said, not wanting to tell Pepper what had happened. He would just end up getting the longest lecture in the world. "I'll see you later, okay? If you and Happy want to go home you can."

"What about you?" Pepper asked.

"Pepper, I can make my own way home. I just have to see some people, okay?" Tony said.

"Well I'm ready to head odd now." Pepper glanced at Happy. "Are you?"

"Yes." Happy replied. "Let's get out of here."

"Have fun kids." Tony winked at Happy and turned around, finding himself face to face with Whitney. "There you are. I was just about to look for you. I was wondering if you wanted to come back to my place?"

xXx

Rhodey unlocked his truck and climbed into the driver's seat. He closed the door and sighed, resting his forehead on the steering wheel. He didn't want to drive – he was completely exhausted, but he didn't want to stay at Tony's house. If he did, Tony would come in with his meaningless apologies and expect Rhodey to stay – and the thing was that he probably would stay. Tony always could get to him.

Rhodey started the car engine and drove away from Tony's house, heading towards the main road. He turned on the stereo and turned it up load, so that he couldn't hear himself think. There was no-one else on the road, and the night was as dark as ever. As he turned around a corner, he could've sworn he saw his headlights reflect off something metal.

xXx

Derek shifted position slightly, controlling his breathing and balancing his sniper rifle. He waited until the black pick-up truck was about to turn another corner, and then pulled the trigger. The gunshot rang out in the night – Derek hadn't bothered with a silencer, knowing that there was no-one else around. There was a squeal of tyres, a scream and the truck veered off the road. Derek stood up and pulled out his cell phone. He dialled a number and waited for someone to pick up.

_"What?"_ Whitney sounded impatient.

"It's done."

_"Good. Now go home."_

"Will you be there?"

_ "No. I'm staying with a... friend... tonight."_ She hung up on him.

Derek looked down at his shaking hands, hoping deep down that he hadn't killed Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes. He didn't think he could live with that kind of blood on his hands. He dismantled the sniper rifle and hid it in the saddle bags of his motorbike. He dialled '911' and then sped off into the night, leaving the scene.

**End of chapter 2! :)**

**... I'm not entirely sure why I'm smiling at this chapter, but oh well.**

**Review if you've got the time!**

**I Caught Myself.**


	4. Red Light

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Iron Man. I do own Derek Redfield, Whitney's assistant.**

**Summary:**** follow up to "Drink and Drive" and "Car Wash". Rhodey should've realised that he and Tony would never last forever. No matter how many times Tony said "I love you", he was never going to change. Tony/Rhodey slash – don't like, don't read! Warnings inside.**

**Rating:**** M – slash, smut, swearing and lots and lots of angst... all the good stuff :)**

**Changing Gears**

**Chapter 4: Red Light**

Jarvis promptly announced the tides and weather at 08:00am. Tony grumbled and rolled over, burying his head in the pillow. He didn't want to get out of bed – getting out of bed would mean facing consequences that he didn't want to face... staying in bed would also mean facing consequences that he didn't want to face.

Last night had been a disaster.

He had done the one thing he had said he would never do – he had cheated on Rhodey, and Rhodey had found him. what worse was that after Rhodey had stormed off he had drunk himself into a stupor and _then_ he had kissed Whitney _again_ and then he had got her driver to drive both of them back to his place, where they had spent the night together.

...And she was still there.

"Morning..." Whitney mumbled, reaching up to ruffle Tony's hair.

"Hmm." Tony fell back onto the pillows and sighed. She shouldn't be the one laying next to him. It should've been Rhodey, and it should've been about 05:00am or whatever ridiculous time Rhodey would drag himself out of bed to go to work. He threw back the sheets and began to look for some trousers. "I need breakfast." He reached over to the bedside table and pulled out a bottle of scotch.

The door to Tony's bedroom slid open, and Pepper walked in, carrying the morning papers and Whitney's dress, which had been washed and pressed. She threw the dress down on the end of the bed and turned to face Tony, holding out the morning papers to him.

"Congratulations." She said, somehow managing to retain her composure. "You've managed to make it onto two different front pages, for two different things."

"What?" Tony asked. He walked over to Pepper and snatched the papers from her. One of them had a photograph of him standing up through the sunroof, yelling at the kids on their bikes, and the other was a photograph of him kissing Whitney in the hotel gardens. "How did they get this?"

"I don't know." Pepper said through gritted teeth.

"Pepper, why are you so mad at me?"

"Oh, I can think of a few reasons..." She took Tony aside whilst Whitney began to get dressed. "What the hell were you doing with her?"

"Sh! Keep your voice down." Tony insisted, dragging Pepper out of the room, closing the door behind them. "I don't know... last night... it just sort of happened."

"And what about Rhodey?" Pepper asked. "Does he know?"

"Yes, he knows. We had a fight and he said that he should've known that I would never change for him... he wouldn't listen to me. I tried so hard, Pepper. I wanted to make this work." Tony sighed. "I haven't heard from him since he found us kissing in the gardens. When I got dressed and saw Whitney off I was going to give him a call and if he won't talk to me, I'll go to his work."

"Tony, he probably doesn't want to see you."

"Well I'll make him see me."

"Tony! You can't just go around in life forcing people to do something they don't want to!" Pepper hissed. "I know that you've been trying to change and Rhodey knows it too – but you haven't even been together a month and you're already all over other women! I'm sure he would understand if you had just been dancing, but _kissing_? Bringing her back here? For God's sake Tony, do you have a built in self-destruct button that you press whenever you get close to a committed relationship?"

"Maybe I do." Tony said. "But that's why I have to fix this."

"Excuse me, sir." Jarvis said. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but there's a message from the hospital marked with high importance."

"I already told them I'm not letting them operate on me! My heart is fine. I've got an arc-reactor powering it." Tony scowled.

"It's not about that." Jarvis said.

"Then what is it?"

"Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes was in an accident last night."

"What." Tony's hands balled into fists, and Pepper clapped her hands over her mouth in shock.

"He was involved in a car accident. The initial police report says that one of the back tyres burst, causing the vehicle to lose control and go off the road." Jarvis explained.

"Is he okay?" Tony asked. _This can't be happening. No, no, no, no..._

"I do not think he is critically injured, sir." Jarvis confirmed. Tony sighed, slightly relieved. "Should I inform the hospital that you will be arriving soon?"

"Tell them I'm on my way now." Tony declared. He walked back into his bedroom and began rummaging in his wardrobe. "Whitney, you need to leave. Now."

"That's a bit rude...?" Whitney said. No-one ever spoke to her like that.

"I don't care. Last night was a mistake. Maybe the biggest mistake of my life. You need to leave. I don't want to see you ever again." Tony said, pulling on his clothes. "I can have Happy drop you off anywhere you want to go."

"I'll call my own driver, thanks." Whitney said spitefully.

"Well do it now. I don't want to see you here when I get back."

"So is that it?" Whitney asked. "You just wanted to have a good time, so you switched on the famous Tony Stark charm and led me on? I don't appreciate being used, Tony."

"Would it be better for you if I said sorry?"

"I know you're not sorry." Whitney said in disgust. "I won't let you get away with this, Tony. No-one uses me and gets away with it."

"I'll keep that in mind." Tony grabbed his jacket and ran out of the bedroom, desperate to see Rhodey.

Whitney turned around fuming and found herself face to face with Pepper.

"Do you have a phone I can use to call my driver?" Whitney asked, wiping unshed tears from her eyes. No man had ever made her this angry... she would get revenge on Tony Stark... or Iron Man. Whichever one he was at the time.

"Miss Frost, I have already called your driver. He will be waiting for you in a few minutes." Jarvis announced.

"Will that be all Miss Frost?" Pepper asked sweetly, trying not to sound too satisfied that Tony had put Whitney down in such an impolite manner. Whitney stormed out of the room.

xXx

A car was waiting for Whitney when she left the house. She opened the door and climbed in beside Derek, who was sitting in silence. She closed the door and turned to face him, her ferocity displayed on her face.

"What happened?" Derek asked.

"Tony just threw me out before speeding off to the hospital to see his _injured_ boyfriend." Whitney scowled. She punched Derek in the jaw. Derek winced as he took the punch and rubbed his cheek. "I told you to take him out! What went wrong?"

"I don't know... I shot out one of the rear tyres to make sure it didn't look to much like it was intentional." Derek said. "I guess he was lucky."

"I hate you so much right now."

"I guessed that." Derek said. There was nothing he could do with Whitney when she was in a mood like this except for agreeing with her, showering her with compliments... or giving her more wine. Agreeing and complimenting were the only options available to him at this moment in time. "What are you going to do now?"

"I'm going to do the job myself." Whitney insisted. "James Rhodes needs to be eliminated – he knows about our connections to the Maggia, even if he can't prove them. Soon enough they'll realise that we tried to take him out and it will be game over. We need to silence him."

"What about Tony Stark?"

"I'll deal with him later. The most important issue is James Rhodes." Whitney declared. She called to the driver. "Take us home, and then to the hospital. I should pay Rhodes a visit and tell him how _sorry_ I am."

xXx

"Tony Stark. I'm here to see James Rhodes." He placed the briefcase that contained the Iron Man suit on the floor beside the desk. He always took it wherever he went now.

"I'm sorry, Mr Stark." The duty nurse smiled apologetically at him, looking up from the computer she was working at. "Mr Rhodes has made clear his wish not to see you. We respect our patient's wishes."

"Look – you need to let me see him right now."

"I'm sorry. I can't do that."

"Let me see him." Tony pulled a wad of cash out of his pocket and handed it to the nurse.

"Do you seriously think you can bribe me?"

"I can try." Tony shrugged. "I need to see Rhodey right now."

"You can't." The nurse insisted. "If you don't leave, I'll call security."

"Well you go right ahead and do that. Erm... make sure no-one touches my briefcase. That's important." Tony said and sprinted off down the corridor, looking for Rhodey's room.

He looked into a room and saw Rhodey sitting up in the bed with his arm in a sling. Tony charged into the room and dived onto the floor, rolling under the bed.

"Tony? What the hell?" Rhodey exclaimed, trying to lean over and see what Tony was doing.

"Sh! I'm not in here!" Tony hissed. It was a long shot that Rhodey would listen to him and direct security away. He heard the door open and heard the thud of heavy footsteps. He could see some black shoes from his vantage point and retreated further under the bed.

"Mr Rhodes, has anyone by the name of Mr Stark come into this room?" The security officer asked.

"No. I thought I told your people that I don't want to see him?" Rhodey asked.

"Well... he came to the hospital. He's currently running amok." The security officer explained. "The nurse told him that you didn't want to see him, but he wouldn't take no for an answer."

"That sounds just like Tony." Rhodey rolled his eyes. "If I see him I'll press the call button."

"Oh... okay. I'll leave now." The security officer turned on his heel and left the room.

"Tony, you better come out from under this bed right now and explain everything to me." Rhodey said in a tone that he only used at work when any of his staff were playing up.

"Hey..." Tony dragged himself out from under the bed and clambered to his feet, brushing himself down. "I've always wanted to have sex in one of these beds, though it might be difficult with your broken arm."

"Why are you here?" Rhodey demanded, completely ignoring Tony's previous comment.

"I needed to see you." Tony confessed. "The hospital called the house to tell me about it and I couldn't just sit there... we need to talk, Rhodey. About us. About everything that happened yesterday."

"You can't keep your hands to yourself. What else is there to talk about?" Rhodey asked, a hint of pain in his voice.

"Rhodey, I'm truly sorry." Tony said, perching on the edge of the bed. "I didn't mean for any of that to happen... I just meant to have a bit of a dance with Whitney and then I was going to come back to you. I... I just got carried away."

"I noticed."

"Rhodey, don't be like that."

"Did you spent the night with her?"

"Yes." Tony hesitated. There was no point in lying.

"Tony... what's going on inside your head?" Rhodey asked. "Yesterday afternoon you were asking me to move in with you and then yesterday evening you were kissing women and taking them back to your house. I think I just need some time and space... I need to think about this. We haven't even been together a month Tony – how do I know that you're not going to do it again? I'm not going to be one of those people who sits by and watches whilst their partner sleeps around and does nothing about it."

"Rhodey, I need you." Tony said. "I love you."

"Do you really?" Rhodey asked skeptically.

Tony leant forwards and pressed his lips to Rhodey's in a fierce kiss that showed just how much he needed and loved him. Rhodey didn't respond to the kiss. He placed a hand on Tony's chest and gently pushed him away. Tony rested his forehead against Rhodey's, closing his eyes.

"Rhodey, please."

"Can you just... get out." Rhodey sighed, his breathing raggedy. "I don't want this now... just leave."

"Rhodey, I'm not leaving you." Tony insisted.

"SECURITY!" Rhodey yelled and hit the call button. "SECURITY, I FOUND HIM!"

"Fine." Tony stood up and walked towards the door. He reached out for the handle and stopped, turning back to face Rhodey. "I'm not going to give up. I'll be back."

"You won't if they catch you."

"Alright. I'll leave. I love you." Tony left the room and sprinted off down the corridor.

The door opened as security walked into the room.

"It's okay, he's gone. He won't be back for a while... he'll probably wait until tomorrow." Rhodey said, fiddling with the bed sheets in his able hand, concentrating on something else other than Tony.

"Good." A woman's voice said. "Don't bother pressing the call button again. I had it disconnected."

"Huh?" Rhodey looked up and found himself face to face with the barrel of a golden gun. His eyes travelled upwards and he saw a masked woman holding the gun. _This really isn't good._

**Sorry if I haven't updated for a while!**

**I can't even remember when my last update was... I don't think it was too long ago...**

**Anyway!**

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and drop me a line if you want!**

**I Caught Myself**


	5. Road Works

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Iron Man. I do own Derek Redfield, Whitney's assistant.**

**Summary:**** follow up to "Drink and Drive" and "Car Wash". Rhodey should've realised that he and Tony would never last forever. No matter how many times Tony said "I love you", he was never going to change. Tony/Rhodey slash – don't like, don't read! Warnings inside.**

**Rating:**** M – slash, smut, swearing and lots and lots of angst... all the good stuff :)**

**Changing Gears**

**Chapter 5: Road Works**

"Okay, I give up." Tony sighed, walking up to the front desk with his hands above his head, mocking the security officer. "I'm leaving now. You can stop security searching for me."

"Security aren't searching for you anymore." The security officer frowned. "A woman told us she had seen you leave through the A&E exit. We took her word for it."

"What?" Tony asked. "Rhodey just called for security to come and get me because I was in his room and I wouldn't leave."

"We haven't had any alarms." The security officer shrugged. "Are you sure he wasn't bluffing?"

"Rhodey can't fool me with his poker face. I always know when he's bluffing." Tony picked up his briefcase. "Stay here. Don't follow me." He opened it up, everyone staring in awe as he turned into Iron Man right in front of them. "I suggest you start evacuating this part of the hospital." Tony then charged off down the corridor – flying would be too dangerous in the packed hospital corridors.

He ran into Rhodey's room and stopped in the doorway. There was a woman with long black hair, wearing some sort of black and white jumpsuit and a golden mask, pointing a small golden gun directly at Rhodey.

"Hey! Get away from him!" Tony ordered.

"Iron Man?" The woman exclaimed in surprise.

"The one and only." Tony said. "Step away from him."

"No." She turned the gun on Tony. "Get out."

"Not a chance, lady."

"Don't make me shoot." She warned.

"I doubt your gun could do much damage anyway." Tony snorted. "Who even are you?"

"She's Madame Masque." Rhodey piped up from the bed, scowling. "She's been spotted several times working with the Maggia in different operations, usually ones when they need hired guns. By the looks of it she's some sort of leader for them. We've been trying to catch her for ages."

"Why is she here?" Tony asked.

"I'm here to take his life." She pointed to Rhodey. "I have no quarrel with you, Iron Man. Don't get in my way." _Not one that you know about_.

"Sheesh, what did Rhodey do to upset you this much?" Tony asked. "Did he turn you down or something?"

"Tony! Don't antagonise her!" Rhodey scowled.

"Why do I need to explain myself to you?" Madame Masque asked. "Now leave, before I kill you too."

"I'm not leaving." Tony declared.

"Fine." She pulled the trigger on her gun.

Tony went flying through the wall of Rhodey's room, through the room after that, and through the next room. He landed in one of the supplies closets, cleaning products toppling from the shelves above him. Tony got to his feet and fired up his boot jets, flying through the holes in the walls, back into Rhodey's room. He landed between Rhodey and Madame Masque, taking up a defensive stance.

"Pretty impressive tech." Tony said. "Where'd you get it?"

"Obadiah Stane sold thousands of Stark weapons to the Maggia." Madame Masque explained. "Wouldn't it be ironic if you were killed by one of your own weapons, Mr Stark?"

"Not gonna happen." Tony insisted, firing up his repulsors, aiming one of them at Madame Masque. "I'm gonna find out who you are, and then I'm going to shut the Maggia down for good. All the details I need will probably be in Obadiah's records. If I wanted to I could have Jarvis scan through them all right now."

"No!" Madame Masque threw a punch at Tony, who caught her wrist in one of his hands. "You'll ruin everything!" She kicked Tony in the chest plate, the force of her kick stunning him slightly. She kicked him again, just before he could recover. Tony watched as warning signs began to flash on his HUD.

"Tony, watch out!" Rhodey called. "She's trained in martial arts and she's damn good with a gun! Who knows what tech she has that can take you out!"

"I think I've discovered that myself, Rhodey!" Tony snapped, catching one of her legs, but forgetting about her other one. Madame Masque kicked his helmet, making Tony fall backwards due to the impact. He grabbed the bed railing, shaking his head, trying to make sense of what was going on.

"Hit her back!" Rhodey yelled.

"I will!" Tony brought his fist up and tried to punch the woman, but she dodged his blow. Soon enough, both of them were locked in hand to hand combat, with Rhodey watching in awe. "Rhodey, stop catching flies and help!"

"How?" Rhodey asked, looking around. "I've got a fucking broken arm!"

_"Sir, armour integrity is at risk."_ Jarvis announced, echoing around Tony's helmet.

"What the hell do you mean by that?" Tony fumed.

_"The armour is not holding up to the constant physical attacks, especially after you were shot and went through several walls. Whatever was in that energy blast has damaged the armour physically."_

"Great, just great." Tony hissed through gritted teeth. He managed to land a punch in Madame Masque's stomach and she dropped to the floor in front of him. She reached for her gun, but Tony kicked it out of her hand. He picked it up and threw it to Rhodey. "Look after that." He said. Rhodey began to inspect the gun, wondering how it was so powerful. "Now, let's find out who you are."

"I don't think so." She growled.

Armed men ran into the room, all of them wearing white masks to cover their faces. They aimed their guns at Tony and Rhodey, as Madame Masque got to her feet.

"Iron Man, meet the Maggia." She said, pulling a smoke grenade from her belt and setting it off.

"Rhodey! Get behind some cover!" Tony ordered, firing repulsor beams in the general direction of the Maggia and Madame Masque. "And stay there!"

Tony continued shooting until the smoke cleared, when he realised that everyone was gone... even Rhodey.

"Rhodey? Rhodey, where are you?" Tony called, walking around the room, even looking under the bed. Rhodey was gone. "RHODEY?"

**I know this chapter wasn't too long, but it's how it's written down in my plan, and this is a good place to stop before the next chapter.**

**Feel privileged! You get two chapters in one night! :O**

**I Caught Myself.**


	6. Stall

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Iron Man. I do own Derek Redfield, Whitney's assistant.**

**Summary:**** follow up to "Drink and Drive" and "Car Wash". Rhodey should've realised that he and Tony would never last forever. No matter how many times Tony said "I love you", he was never going to change. Tony/Rhodey slash – don't like, don't read! Warnings inside.**

**Rating:**** M – slash, smut, swearing and lots and lots of angst... all the good stuff :)**

**Changing Gears**

**Chapter 6: Stall**

"Mr Hogan, there seems to be a disturbance in the workshop." Jarvis announced, his voice as concerned as a robot could sound. "I think it involves Mr Stark and some sort of hammer. I do not know. He's shut me down in that wing of the house."

"It's okay, Jarvis. I'll go and check it out." Happy said, folding up the newspaper he was reading and placing it on the coffee table. "Thanks for the heads up."

"Please do. I would hate for him to hurt himself. He'll be moaning about it for days." Jarvis drawled.

"I'm not sure whether that was concern or humour." Happy said, heading for the stairs down to the workshop. He straightened his tie and smoothed the creases out of his jacket as he approached the workshop door and typed in the code.

Much to Happy's surprise, Tony hadn't changed the door code. He usually did when he was in a 'breaking things' mood, and the only way to get him to change it back would be to get Rhodey over to talk to him and calm him down or get Pepper down to treat him how he was acting – like a child.

"Mr Stark?" Happy asked. Tony was standing in front of a workbench with his back to Happy. He was holding a large hammer in his hands, and there was a twisted and dented piece of metal on the bench in front of him. "Are you okay, sir?"

"How can I be okay, Happy?" Tony asked, rounding on his bodyguard, still holding the hammer. "I ruined the best thing that ever happened to me all because I have a weakness for beautiful women and it destroyed the only real relationship that I will ever have. Rhodey has been kidnapped by the Maggia and some crazy woman who is trying to kill him. I have to find them, Happy and I have to save Rhodey. I sure as hell don't know where they are and what to do right now, so it's probably for the best if you leave and let me take out my anger on _this_ –" he gestured to the metal on the workbench. "– And not you."

"Of course." Happy said and walked out of the workshop.

Happy headed back up to the main house, and walked into Tony's study, where Pepper was sitting at the desk, filling in stacks of paperwork. Happy knocked on the door and startled her, as she was too engrossed in her work.

_She's so gorgeous._ Happy thought, leaning against the doorframe. He shook his head to clear his mind.

"Happy. How long have you been standing there?" Pepper asked.

"Not long." Happy said, scratching the back of his head. "I just went down to the workshop to see Tony... he's... well, to put it lightly he's fucked up."

"You've only just started to realise?" Pepper joked.

"No... Pepper, he's seriously fucked up by this whole Rhodey thing." Happy explained, walking over to the desk. "He's in his workshop right now taking it all out on some random piece of metal which may or may not be important to him."

"I... I can't deal with this." Pepper confessed, throwing down her pen with her head in her hands. "I really can't deal with this. Everytime something happens me and Rhodey are always left to pick up the pieces. I really can't deal with it Happy... every time I see him like this it's like a part of me just... dies. I don't know how to explain it, but it's something like that."

"Pepper..."

"Rhodey isn't here... so I have to sort him out... again..." Pepper sighed. "Why can't he keep his hands to himself? What the hell goes on in his head that stops him from having any sort of real relationship? He's an adult Happy. I'm so sick of treating him like a child all of the time."

"Pepper, he needs you." Happy said, walking over to her and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Rhodey isn't here right now and you're the only one who can keep Tony on the ground. If you don't, he's going to do something really stupid and wind up getting hurt – it's what always happens." Happy insisted. "And we don't know what this woman wants, except that she's probably going to take Rhodey out. Do you know how guilty Tony is going to feel if that happens? He'll never come out of his workshop again. You have to go down there and knock some sense into him."

"Right. I can do that." Pepper said, standing up and straightening her suit. "I can make him see sense... I always do."

"Yes, you do." Happy smiled. "Now, go and sort him out."

"Happy..." Pepper blushed. His hand was on her arm. "Thank you. I needed someone to listen to me. Just... thank you."

"You're... erm... welcome." Happy said. He ignored his protest screaming mind and kissed her, his arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her against him. Pepper's arms snaked around his neck and kissed him back, all rational thought vanishing from her mind.

Happy pulled away and started down at Pepper breathlessly. He had never expected her to return any of the feelings he had for her. He wasn't quite sure what to say now.

"Well... I should go and see Tony now..." Pepper said, shifting her paperwork into tidy piles.

"Yeah... do you... wanna go out tonight or something?" Happy asked. "We could... go for a meal or something?"

"That... sounds nice." Pepper smiled. "So tonight?"

"Yes. Tonight." Happy agreed. "I'll pick you up at eight?"

"Okay." Pepper said. "Now should we sort Tony out?"

"That's probably a good idea."

xXx

Tony was kneeling on the floor in front of the workbench when Pepper walked in. He was gripping the worktop with his hands. His knuckles were white and looked as though they would burst through the skin of his hands. He had given up destroying... things. It wasn't making him feel any better.

Pepper walked over to him, her high heels clacking on the floor. She crouched down beside him, pulling the hem of her skirt down self-consciously. She reached out and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Tony, you need to get up off the floor and get yourself together." She said softly. "None of this is going to help anyone."

"Pepper... I can't... I... it's all my fault." Tony sighed, squeezing his eyes shut, wishing that none of this had happened. He wished he could turn back time to the afternoon before the gala where he had gone to Rhodey's apartment. He wished they had stayed there and wasted the rest of the day, ignoring Pepper's frantic messages telling them how late they were going to be. "Why do I ruin everything good that ever happens to me?"

"Tony, you haven't ruined anything." She said fiercely and stood up. "Look at me."

"What's the use?" Tony asked, looking up at her. "I've lost the one thing I cared about most."

"That's a defeatist attitude." Pepper said. "You haven't lost Rhodey. You know how much he loves you, and you love him. He's probably sitting in a Maggia compound _right now_ wondering when you're coming to rescue him, all guns blazing and kicked this masked bitch's ass. If I were you, I would go and take her down because she's going to kill Rhodey. Stop moping around and actually do something Tony!"

"Did you really just say 'bitch'?" Tony smiled, using to worktop to pull himself up onto his feet.

"I can't think of another word to describe her." Pepper shrugged.

"Say it again. It was funny."

"Tony..." Pepper was cut off by Tony's phone ringing. He looked at the caller I.D. and groaned, holding it out to Pepper.

"Bitch. There, I said it again."

"Thank you." Tony answered the phone. "Whitney, what do you want? I told you I never wanted to see you again."

_ "I heard about Rhodey. I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry."_ Whitney said innocently.

"You don't sound sorry." Tony said. He was sure he could hear someone talking in the background on Whitney's end of the call.

_"Really? Oh well. It doesn't matter."_ She said. _"Excuse me for one minute."_

xXx

Whitney held the phone away from her ear and covered the mouthpiece, scowling. Derek was wrestling with Rhodey in the background, trying to gag the Lieutenant Colonel.

"For God's sake, Derek! He's tied up! How difficult is it to gag someone with a broken arm and the other tied behind his back?" Whitney snapped.

"He bit me!" Derek protested, holding up his hand to show Whitney. "And drew blood!"

"Tony! Tony I'm here!" Rhodey yelled, determined to make the man on the other end of the phone hear him. "Tony! Whitney is Madame Mas–" He didn't get to finish his sentence, because Derek finally managed to jam the strip of cloth in his mouth and tie it behind his head. Rhodey growled and shook his head.

"I gagged him." Derek announced, cradling his injured hand. "What kind of stupid idea did you have to make a phone call to Tony with him in the same room, anyway?"

"Be quiet Derek!" Whitney snapped. She picked up the phone again. "Sorry about that. Derek had a few problems trying to muzzle a _dog_." She glared at Rhodey. "I hope you find Rhodey soon. I hope you find him _really_ soon."

_"Thanks for the concern."_ Tony said spitefully and ended the call.

Whitney threw the phone down on the table and picked up her mask. She stood up and headed towards the door, where she stopped and turned to face Derek.

"It sounds like Tony's still got some fight left in him." She said. "I have to go and distribute some orders. Make sure he doesn't escape." She placed the mask on her face and walked out of the room.

Derek waited until he was sure she was gone and crouched down beside Rhodey, loosening the gag and talking in hushed tones, just in case she did return.

"I'm going to make a call to the boss." Derek said. "I'm going to tell him where we are and what's going on. This is what we need to bring the Maggia down. I've downloaded all of the data to this memory stick." Derek held it up in front of Rhodey.

"Good. Nice one, Redfield." Rhodey grinned. "Just make sure this bitch doesn't kill me."

"I'll try sir." Derek said. "I'm giving you the memory stick – they've already searched you, so they won't again. No-one will know you have it. When the fighting starts I'll come back and we'll make a break for it."

"Put it in my pocket." Rhodey said. "If I'm untied it'll look suspicious."

"I know." Derek slid the memory stick into the pocket of Rhodey's trousers. "Make sure it finds its way to the boss."

"_Captain_ Redfield, are you trying to give me orders?"

"I guess so, sir."

"I'll see that you get a promotion after this." Rhodey said. "Now go and make that call!"

**And yes, Derek is a good guy :D**

**There's only going to be about three chapters left after this one.**

**Leave a review if you want to! I don't bite.**

**I Caught Myself.**


	7. Reverse

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Iron Man. I do own Derek Redfield, Whitney's assistant.**

**Summary:**** follow up to "Drink and Drive" and "Car Wash". Rhodey should've realised that he and Tony would never last forever. No matter how many times Tony said "I love you", he was never going to change. Tony/Rhodey slash – don't like, don't read! Warnings inside.**

**Rating:**** M – slash, smut, swearing and lots and lots of angst... all the good stuff :)**

**Changing Gears**

**Chapter 7: Reverse**

"I'm being serious. We should be going after them right now." Tony said, slamming his hand down on the desk as if to emphasise the point. "If we can track down Madame Masque she can lead us to the Maggia. Surely you guys have some ideas of who she is and where the Maggia headquarters is. You've been investigating them for ages!"

"Tony, we have no idea who Madame Masque is and where the Maggia operate from." The General said. "They're smart. They move whenever we come close to finding them and the trail for Madame Masque always goes cold – we can never find her. We're starting to think she's more than one person."

"But..."

"I know that you're emotionally involved with this, but this a military investigation. This isn't a job for Iron Man to go in and blow everything to bits."

"It will be if they hurt Rhodey."

"We're waiting for a confirmation from our informant on the inside as to their current whereabouts." The General said. "After he calls us we will be moving in on the Maggia and we will get Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes back."

"Well he should hurry up and call." Tony folded his arms across his chest. "Or I'm going to take this into my own hands and there is nothing you can do to stop me. I'm not a part of your goddamn military."

"Sir! I've got Captain Redfield on the line!" One of the soldiers in the control room announced. "He says he has news of the Maggia whereabouts and can clarify that Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes is fine."

"Put it on speaker." The General announced.

_"Sir, this is Captain Redfield reporting from the Maggia compound."_

"Captain Redfield, what's your status?"

_"I have Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes with me now. I'm tempted to leave him here though, because he fucking BIT me."_ There was a chuckle from Rhodey in the background.

"If you leave him there, I swear –" Tony snarled, leaning over the speaker phone.

"Tony, it's a joke." The General placed a hand on Tony's shoulder and pushed him back slightly. "Redfield, cut to the chase."

_"We're in a warehouse by the docks."_ Derek said. _"I have all the evidence I need to bring the Maggia down and I know who Madame Masque is. She has no idea that we're on her trail and they're planning to attack Tony Stark."_

"Why do they want to attack me?" Tony asked.

_"I've given Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes all the data we need to take them down. I need a team to come in to extract him and the data."_

"You got it."

"I want in." Tony said.

"Tony, we'll talk about this later." The General scowled. "Redfield, you said that you know who Madame Masque is?"

_"Yes, I – oh shit."_

"Redfield? What's going on?" The General demanded. The line went dead.

"Now can we go after the Maggia?" Tony asked.

xXx

"So what was that about?" Whitney asked, placing the phone down on the receiver and she removed her mask. "It sounded like an important phone call. Who was it too? Anyone I should know about?" She walked over to Derek and glanced at Rhodey, and then back at him.

"That was no-one. It was just a salesman." Derek said. It was probably the most unconvincing lie anyone could ever tell, but there was still a chance that Whitney would believe it.

Only a chance.

Whitney slapped him across the face and punched him in the stomach with her other hand. Derek crumpled to the floor beside Rhodey, the breath knocked out of his lungs. Rhodey dragged himself forwards and nudged Derek with his foot. Derek wheezed and nodded, telling the other man that he was okay.

"I knew I couldn't trust you from the start." Whitney said. "Using your real name was a poor idea to start with."

"It said I was ex-military on my form. I didn't think you would realise I was currently in the military." Derek gasped.

"I know. That's why I hired you. I thought you would be handy to have around." Whitney said. "But then I started getting suspicious when you started making all of the outgoing calls. I bugged your office, I bugged your office phone, I bugged your mobile and I bugged _you_." Whitney stood in front of Rhodey and Derek and pulled a gun out of her holster, aiming it at Derek, and then at Rhodey... and then back at Derek. "Now, which one of you should I kill first?"

"Madame Masque!" A Maggia thug said, charging into the room. "We have to leave – Iron Man is here and he brought the army."

"What?" Whitney said. "This day just got better... get all of our files out of here. Everyone else should engage the military."

"What about Iron Man?"

"Leave him to me." Whitney said. The thug ran out of the room.

Whitney placed her gun back into her holster and placed her mask on her face.

"I have a more pressing engagement." She said. "I'll be back to deal with you two later." She walked out of the room and locked the door behind her, making sure that Rhodey and Derek couldn't escape.

"Bitch!" Derek snarled and punched the floor. "If she had come back a moment later I would've finished the call and they would be on their way to get us out of here. The Maggia wouldn't know about it until the last minute."

"Derek, will you get over here and untie me!" Rhodey snapped. "You can whine about Whitney's poor sense of timing when we get out of here and we're back home!"

"Dead or alive?" Derek asked, crawling over to Rhodey, beginning to undo the binding on his ankles.

"Alive, preferably." Rhodey said. "You can't whine if you're dead!"

"I'm pretty sure you can." Derek grinned and freed Rhodey's legs. Rhodey kicked him in the shoulder. "Ouch!"

"Get on with it!" Rhodey hissed. "I don't want to be here when Whitney comes back."

xXx

"Where's Rhodey?" Tony demanded, firing a repulsor blast at a nearby Maggia thug who had been aiming a gun at him. "Even if you don't tell me, I will tear this place apart trying to find him, and if you've hurt him I'll tear _you_ apart."

"Like I'm going to tell you." Madame Masque relaxed her stance slightly, still pointing the gun at Tony. "I have some unfinished business with him... and Derek. I'll shoot you if you come any closer – surely you remember how powerful this gun is from the hospital? It won't matter that you're wearing your glorified tin can if this hits you."

"Oh please, it didn't do any serious damage." Tony aimed one of his gloves at Madame Masque. "Now tell me where he is, or I fry you."

"No." Madame Masque squeezed the trigger.

Tony ran forwards and tackled her to the floor. He wasn't going to fry her just yet – he was going to try and find out where Rhodey was first and then take her into military custody where she could face the real justice system and would regret the day she had messed with him for the rest of her life.

They wrestled on the ground, Madame Masque clawing at his helmet, trying to find some way to rip it open and find a way to _hurt_ Tony – there was no way she could win this fight unless she could get Tony's armour open. Tony pinned her to the floor and punched her in the hip, leaving her immobile for a few seconds.

Tony reached up and hooked his fingers under the bottom of the mask and ripped it off. He slumped backwards in shock when he saw who was under the mask. He recognised her features – especially the scarred half of her face.

"W-whitney?" Tony spluttered.

**Two more chapters left to go!**

**Thank you to everyone who has been reading and reviewing!**

**I Caught Myself**


	8. Amber Light

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Iron Man. I do own Derek Redfield, Whitney's assistant.**

**Summary:**** follow up to "Drink and Drive" and "Car Wash". Rhodey should've realised that he and Tony would never last forever. No matter how many times Tony said "I love you", he was never going to change. Tony/Rhodey slash – don't like, don't read! Warnings inside.**

**Rating:**** M – slash, smut, swearing and lots and lots of angst... all the good stuff :)**

**Changing Gears**

**Chapter 8: Amber Light**

"Get off me!" Whitney snarled and kicked Tony in his stomach plating and snatched the mask from him, placing it back over her face. She snatched her gun up from the floor and aimed it at Tony's face.

"Whitney..." Tony retracted his mask and held his hands up to show that he wasn't going to hurt her – he just wanted to talk. For now. "What are you doing? Are you... is this all just because I dumped you?"

"Why do you assume that it's about you?" Whitney snapped. "I was Madame Masque long before I met you. My real father is Count Nefaria, the head of the Maggia! None of this was about you – it was about making our money and getting the military off our trail – the only reason you're involved is because I took Rhodey."

"Not all of that was business, was it?" Tony said. "You could've taken anyone, but you took Rhodey because it would get to me."

"Well, that and he knew too much." Whitney shrugged.

"Was that charity gala for the cause you said it was?" Tony asked coldly.

"Of course not."

"If there's one thing I hate more than scum like you, it's lying." Tony grimaced. "That money could've gone to a good cause – it could've gone towards helping people but you had to keep it for your own selfish means."

"Oh, so are you saying I should've gone 'come to my charity gala and donate to the Maggia!'? I'm sure that would've worked wonders for us, Tony." Whitney snapped.

"Why does someone like you need to do all of this?" Tony asked. "You're rich and you're beautiful..."

"Beautiful?" Whitney laughed harshly. "Tony, you've seen my face. That's not beauty. That's... that's horrific. I can't ever find a man who loves me for how I look – it's always about the money. The one's that do find me attractive see my face and run a mile." Whitney's face softened slightly. "You're the only man who didn't. You showed care and tenderness for me..."

"But I'm with Rhodey."

"I know." Whitney said. "But you made a great show of that, didn't you? Are you two still together now?"

Tony lunged forwards and punched Whitney. He was sick of all the talking. This was the woman who had come between him and the best thing that had ever happened to him in his life. Forget all his money. Forget the fame. Forget everything – all he wanted _and_ needed was Rhodey by his side.

The fighting continued.

xXx

"Damn it." Derek hissed and punched the door. "We're locked in."

"Can we force the door open?" Rhodey asked, walking over to Derek and inspecting the door. "I won't be able to do much because of my arm, but we can try slamming into it I guess."

"Yeah. Sorry about the arm." Derek grinned sheepishly. "I wasn't expecting you to get too badly hurt."

"Don't worry about it. At least it was just a broken arm." Rhodey said. "You ready?"

"Yeah. How are we going to do this?" Derek asked. "Do you want me to run at the door and ram into it a couple of times? I might be able to break it down... after a few tries."

"You can try." Rhodey shrugged. Neither of them had been in a predicament like this before unarmed, otherwise they would've blasted the lock off the door. "But it might not budge and then we'll both be injured. Isn't there any other way out?"

"Erm..." Derek looked around the room. He looked up, and saw and air vent above them. "Rhodey, do you reckon you could give me a leg up?" He studied the air vent as Rhodey walked over to him, and stood under the air vent with him.

"With my broken arm?" Rhodey raised an eyebrow. "I can try, but you're paying for my medical care if you make it worse."

"You'll be worse off if Whitney finds us." Derek grinned, placing his hands on Rhodey's shoulders and moving him so that he was in the right position. "If I get that chair, I can stand on it and I'll just need you to give me some support while I try and haul myself up into the vent."

"Alright." Rhodey watched Derek as he went to get the chair. "So what are you going to do once you're in the vent?"

"I know the blueprints for this building." Derek explained, setting the chair down in the place and stepping up onto it. "There's another vent just outside the door. I'll come down in front of it and open the door from the outside. Afterwards we can go and find our guys and get outta here."

"Well hurry up." Rhodey grunted as Derek supported himself on Rhodey's shoulder and pushed the grating of the air vent up. Derek grabbed onto the edges of the vent and pulled himself up through the vent, kicking his legs. "Hey! Watch out!" Rhodey snapped as Derek's foot collided with his shoulder.

"Sorry!" Derek's voice echoed from the air vent. "Okay, I'm in. I'm crawling through to the other side now."

"You sure you can fit through that air vent?" Rhodey asked.

"I'm sure, Rhodey. I don't have a desk job like _someone_ so I have to keep in good shape." Derek called down, crawling through the vent.

"Ah. Keep in good shape." Rhodey nodded, looking up at the air vent. "Why the hell did I see you eating McDonalds the other week then?"

"I was hungry!" Derek protested. There was a thud and his voice came from the other side of the door. "Right, I'm here now. I just need to get the door open."

"Well hurry up!" Rhodey yelled as an explosion rocked the opposite wall. "It sounds like it's getting rough out there!"

"I'm going as fast as I can!" Derek said, twisting the lock on the outside. He kicked the door open, just for the dramatic effect. "Let's get out of here." He stepped back to let Rhodey through the doorway and tripped up, falling against the wall.

"Derek, stop trying to be badass."

xXx

Whitney dived on the floor away from the explosion. It seemed as though the military were destroying most of the Maggia base. She looked up and saw that the building was on fire. Tony was helping some soldiers who were trapped in the blast. She looked in the opposite direction as Derek emerged from the smoke, supporting Rhodey with one of his arms around his waist. She smiled to herself as she got to her feet and picked her gun up off the floor. She strode over to Rhodey and Derek, aiming the gun at Derek, then Rhodey.

"I'll kill him first." She said. "Death is to kind for you, Derek."

"I could say the same thing to you." Derek glowered at Whitney.

"If you're going to kill me, why don't you take off that mask?" Rhodey asked, the perfect picture of calm. "That way I can look you in the eye as you do it."

Whitney hesitated, and reached up to lift her mask off her face. As she did, she was unaware of Tony speeding towards her.

Tony slammed into Whitney, knocking her to ground just as she pulled the trigger. He kicked the gun out of her hand and aimed his repulsor at her. Tony glanced at Derek and Rhodey. Rhodey was clutching his shoulder, as Derek slowly lowered him to the ground as a group of soldiers ran over, one of them radioing in to get medical team.

"You hurt him one too many times." Tony growled, retracting his mask. "And I will look you in the eye as I kill you."

"You can't kill me." She laughed, taking off her mask.

"Why not?" Tony asked. "I killed Obadiah Stane." He fired the repulsor.

xXx

Rhodey was sitting on the back of an ambulance, having his shoulder patched up and his broken arm re-bandaged. Derek was leaning against the side of the ambulance with his arms folded, wearing a camouflage jacket that someone had given him. The body bag containing Whitney was being loaded into the back of another ambulance.

The surviving members of the Maggia were being loaded into various trucks and being taken for holding in a secure unit.

Tony walked over to the ambulance, carrying the briefcase containing his Iron Man suit. He set it down beside the ambulance and nodded at Derek. Derek tapped the first aider on the shoulder, and gestured for him to leave if he didn't want to be mentally scarred for the rest of his life. The first aider left and Derek gave Tony an informal two-fingered salute and started to walk away. He turned around and scratched the back of his head.

"Hey, erm... before you two start having your awkward conversation about what's going on with your relationship can I have my memory stick back?" Derek asked.

"Oh yeah. Sure man." Rhodey reached into his pocket and threw the memory stick to Derek. "Make sure you get it to the boss."

"I will." Derek said. "Sorry for the awkward moment... have fun with your gay baby."

"What?" Rhodey asked.

"You should've gone for the chirping crickets." Tony muttered under his breath and rolled his eyes.

"Oh. An awkward moment. It means a gay baby has just been born." Derek glanced at Rhodey and Tony. "Okaaaaay. Just me who says that. Have fun guys." Derek turned on his heel and started to walk away again.

"So." Tony said, turning to face Rhodey. He sat down beside him on the back of the ambulance. "Could Derek have made this moment any more awkward?"

"Nope." Rhodey said, staring down at his lap.

"Well..." Tony sighed. "This isn't going to get any easier, so... I want you back. I'm really sorry about everything, Rhodey. I'm even sorry about your broken arm and your bullet wound, even though none of that was directly my fault – well, the bullet wound kind of was... but not completely! You shouldn't have goaded her."

"Tony... I have to go." Rhodey said, looking up at the truck that had just pulled up. Derek was standing in front of it, calling to Rhodey. "I'll see you around." He got to his feet and walked over to the truck.

Tony watched as Rhodey climbed into the front, assisted by Derek. He was vaguely aware of his limo pulling up not too far away, and Pepper ran out of it, over to Tony, and threw her arms around him. She realised what she had done and nervously backed away, clasping her hands in front of her.

"Are you okay?" Pepper asked.

"I'm fine." Tony lied, turning away and walking towards the limo.

"Did you talk to Rhodey?"

"That will be all Miss Potts." Tony snapped.

"Very well, Mr Stark." Pepper composed herself and climbed into the limo beside him. "Happy, take us home."

**One more chapter to go!**

**Thanks for any reviews and favs! You guys rock!**


	9. Green Light

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Iron Man. I do own Derek Redfield, Whitney's assistant.**

**Summary:**** follow up to "Drink and Drive" and "Car Wash". Rhodey should've realised that he and Tony would never last forever. No matter how many times Tony said "I love you", he was never going to change. Tony/Rhodey slash – don't like, don't read! Warnings inside.**

**Rating:**** M – slash, smut, swearing and lots and lots of angst... all the good stuff :)**

**Changing Gears**

**Chapter 9: Green Light**

Tony was moping in his workshop again.

However, this time he wasn't smashing anything. He was just sitting on a stool, tinkering with his Hot Rod, music blaring out from the speakers at a volume that Happy and Pepper didn't think possible. Happy walked over to the speakers and switched the music off, earning a glare from Tony.

"I was listening to that." Tony stated.

"You're not now." Happy said.

"Tony... you've been down here for almost a week." Pepper said, the concern in her voice obvious.

"Well there's nothing out there I'm interested in right now." Tony shrugged, reaching for the stereo again. Happy grabbed Tony's wrist and shook his head. "Damn it, Happy. Let go of me!"

"Tony, you're being silly." Pepper sighed.

"Look, why don't you two just leave me alone and go out on your date? Enjoy yourselves." Tony snatched his arm away from Happy and picked up his screwdriver.

"How did you know we were going on a date?" Pepper asked, her cheeks flushed bright red.

"Oh please, I've known both of you for years." Tony said, a slight smile twitching at the corners of his mouth. "I'm happy for you both. You make a good couple... besides – Pepper, you left the note from Happy on my desk the other morning. I could tell it was from Happy, the amount of times he's left notes for me saying 'WASH YOUR OWN CAR'."

"Hey, I don't have the time to wash your car with amount of time you spend driving around in it." Happy said.

"Anyway, enough with the idle chit-chat: why are both of you here?" Tony asked. "It clearly isn't because you want my blessing so... what is it?"

"Tony, when was the last time you spoke to Rhodey?" Pepper asked. She saw him flinch.

"Just after the fight at the Maggia compound." Tony said. "He made it pretty clear that he wanted nothing to do with me after I told him that I needed him. He doesn't want to see me, Pepper."

"Since when did you develop this defeatist attitude?" Pepper asked. "When he was in the hospital we picked you back up off the ground, dusted you off and then you went there to tell him how you felt. When he got kidnapped you were determined to do whatever you could to get him back. Go and tell him how you feel, Tony. I know he loves you, and I know that you love him too much to let him go."

"Tony – I may not be comfortable with yours and Rhodey's relationship..." Happy hesitated. "But I know you made each happy."

"There's something you're not telling me." Tony's eyes narrowed as he wiped the grime from the screwdriver and placed it down on the workbench, getting to his feet.

"Pepper said we can't go on our date until you at least try to talk to Rhodey." Happy confessed, removing a phone from his pocket. He typed in a number and held the phone out to Tony.

"Ah." Tony took the phone from Happy. "I knew that there was going to be another incentive. Oh well. You two are right. I can't live without him."

"So are you going to call him?" Pepper asked.

"Yes." Tony pressed the call button and held the phone to his ear. He listening to the ringing, and then to the tone to signal that there was no answer. "Nothing. His phone must be switched off or he doesn't have it on him. What day is it?"

"Today? It's Monday." Pepper replied instantly.

"Monday the what?"

"The 27th."

"He's got a training exercise today. He'll be at work." Tony glanced at his Audi R8, and then at Happy and Pepper. "Will you two be ready and willing to bust me out of jail if this goes horribly wrong?"

xXx

"Whiplash One, do you have a visual?" Rhodey asked down the microphone.

_"Yes sir. I'm engaging the enemy now."_ Whiplash One replied.

Rhodey switched off his microphone and sat back in his chair and sighed. Today had started off bad, and was getting worse all the time. Firstly, he had stayed up the whole of last night to try and get some paperwork done... which he then found out that morning was not due in until next week. Secondly, he had several messages from Pepper, all asking him how he was and if he felt like meeting up with Tony. Thirdly – Derek's recent promotion had gone to his head and he was now waltzing around the airbase, making _everyone_ address him as 'Major Redfield', prompting everyone to grumble about how Derek wasn't even a part of the air force – he was US army. Fourth – his broken arm and bullet wound were still stupidly painful.

Currently, Derek was leaning on the back of Rhodey's chair, watching the visuals from Whiplash One flashing up on the screen. He was whistling tunelessly as he tapped his fingers against the back of the chair.

"Derek, why –"

"_Major_ Redfield." Derek's grin blossomed.

"– Why are you still here?" Rhodey asked, ignoring Derek's correction.

"Because my transfer to your unit to deal with the Maggia was meant to last another week." Derek explained. "The army don't want me back yet."

"But they came to your promotion ceremony!" Rhodey protested. "They know that you've finished your mission."

"Rhodey, you just hit the nail on the head." The General spoke up from where he was sitting a few feet away from Rhodey and Derek. "The army don't want him back because they're waiting for him to get bored of saying 'Major Redfield'."

"The bad thing is, it's probably true." Derek's grin widened.

Rhodey was about to retort when they heard a commotion outside the control room door. There were people shouting, and a thudding noise as though someone without security clearance was trying to kick the door in.

"What the hell?" The General asked. "Whiplash One and Two, stand by. We have a situation in the control room." He got to his feet and walked over to the door. The General opened it, and two military policeman dragged Tony Stark into the room by his arms. "Tony, what the hell are you doing?"

"I need to talk to Rhodey." Tony insisted, struggling against the military police who were restraining him.

"How the hell did he get in here?" The General snapped.

"We stopped him at the gate sir, but he drove straight through the barrier." One of the military policemen said. "We shot his tyres and then tried to catch him, but he managed to evade us until he went straight for this building."

"Cool." Derek said.

"Rhodey, please, just listen to me –"

"Haven't you ever heard of a phone?" Rhodey stood up and walked over to Tony. "I'm in the middle of a training exercise! What if this was a real combat situation, huh Tony? You would be endangering my men and I can't let you do that."

"And I can't let you go!"

"Get him out of here." Rhodey said to the military policemen, going back to his chair. Derek gave Tony a mini-wave.

"Oh, I see how it is then." Tony spat. "I hope you have fun with Derek. You two make a _real_ cute couple."

"What?" Rhodey asked, spinning on his chair to face Tony.

"You heard me." Tony said. "Is that why you ignored my call earlier? You were too busy fucking him on one of those tiny crew room bunks?"

"Tony, what the hell?" Rhodey asked.

"Boys, get him out of here." The General ordered.

"Since when was I gay?" Derek asked, turning to anyone who looked like they might be able to explain what was going on to him. "Does Tony seriously think I'm shagging Rhodey? What's going on?"

"Rhodey! I just wanna talk, okay?" Tony said. "Just talk... please."

"Rhodes, you've got ten minutes to sort this mess out and get your ass back in here." The General said.

"But –" Rhodey started to protest.

"Out." Derek pointed to the door. Rhodey glared at him and pushed himself out of his chair with his good arm, and followed the military police, who were still restraining Tony, out of the room.

The military police let go of Tony, and Rhodey grabbed the front of Tony's t-shirt with his good hand and dragged him off down the corridor.

"Are you pleased to see me?" Tony grinned.

"I'm not talking to you yet." Rhodey snapped, pushing a door open. He pushed Tony inside and followed, closing the door behind them.

The room that they were now in was a small crew room, lined with small bunks on either side. Rhodey sat down on the edge of one, resting his good elbow on his knee and his chin on the palm of his hand.

"Rhodey, will you just say whatever you want to instead of sitting there _thinking_ about it?" Tony asked, leaning against one of the bunks and folding his arms.

"What the hell were you doing, Tony?" Rhodey exploded, springing to his feet. "You broke into a military base! They could've shot you!"

"You weren't answering my calls. I had to get you to talk to me somehow." Tony said calmly, looking away.

"I was in the middle of a training exercise, Tony!" Rhodey fumed. "You know –"

"I knew you were in the middle of a training exercise."

"How?"

"I memorised your calendar so I knew when I could come and randomly burst in on you as a surprise." Tony shrugged sheepishly. "Anyway, that doesn't matter. Continue your rant."

"You know I never answer my phone when I'm in a training exercise or combat situation!" Rhodey scowled.

"You did that time I was in the Iron Man suit."

"You took out one of my planes!" Rhodey protested and started to chuckle.

"I sure did." Tony grinned. He knew it was cheesy, but it made him feel warm inside, seeing Rhodey laugh again. "Rhodey, I am so sorry about everything I did. I just want you back. It's so... life is so dull without you, and Pepper can't babysit me all by herself."

"I know." Rhodey sighed. "But... maybe we should take things a bit slower – HEY!" Rhodey was slightly shocked when a warm pair of lips pressed against his and a tongue invaded his mouth. He scowled and pushed Tony away.

"What? Too fast for you?" Tony asked.

"No... just watch out for my arm!" Rhodey growled, kissing Tony again.

Tony pushed Rhodey down onto one of the bunks and climbed on top of him, straddling his waist. He pressed his lips to Rhodey's again, careful not to crush Rhodey's broken arm between their bodies. Tony sat up and looked down at Rhodey.

"This isn't going to work. Your arm is making this way too difficult." Tony said, climbing off Rhodey. He sat down on the edge of the bunk and helped Rhodey sit up. "Damn it Rhodey, why did you have to go and break your arm?"

"It isn't my fault! Blame Derek for shooting out my car tyres! He owes me some new ones." Rhodey scowled. He pushed Tony off the bed, onto the floor. "And if my arm is making it difficult, you can stay on the floor down there. Think of a way to make yourself useful."

"Oh, I can think of one way." Tony flashed Rhodey his charming smile and crawled over to Rhodey, placing his hands on Rhodey's thighs. "How much longer do we have? Your boss said you had ten minutes to sort me out."

"I don't care how much longer we have left! Get on with it, Tony. I've missed you damn it!" Rhodey hissed.

"I've missed you too." Tony grinned up and him and undid Rhodey's trousers, yanking them down. "You sure you want to do it in here? Anyone might walk in."

"I don't give a fuck, Tony! Get on with it!"

"Christ, someone's impatient." Tony pulled Rhodey's boxers down. "Seriously though, how long do we have?"

"Three minutes." Rhodey growled, checking his watch. "Just get on with it!"

"Okay, okay..." Tony sighed and took Rhodey into his mouth. Rhodey gasped and bucked his hips, thrusting himself deeper into Tony's mouth.

"Fuck... I've missed you Tony..." Rhodey panted, gripping Tony's mop hair with his good hand.

Tony hummed in agreement, the vibrations in his throat driving Rhodey crazy.

"Tony... oh fuck... oh..." Rhodey groaned as he released, spilling himself into Tony's mouth. Tony pulled away and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, still kneeling between Rhodey's legs with his head resting on Rhodey's thigh.

"I won't ever let anything like this happen ever again. I promise you, Rhodey." Tony mumbled.

"I know." Rhodey sighed deeply. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Why did you say that I was screwing Derek earlier?"

"Wanted to say something to get your attention." Tony smiled lop-sidedly.

"Well it sure as hell worked." Rhodey grinned.

"I know."

"I love you."

"I love you too." Tony smiled and kissed Rhodey on the forehead. "Don't you have a control room to go back to?"

"Nah, this is way more interesting..."

**End.**

**Yay, it's finished! ... And also no.**

**Yay because it means I can concentrate on my other fic now and the no because I really enjoyed writing this.**

**I hope you guys enjoyed reading it, and any comments or feedback are appreciated!**

**I Caught Myself :D**


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